SENSES OF FISHES. 1? 



Vision in Fishes. 



The form of the eye in fishes proves that they are 

 all very near-sighted, so much so, that the dense 

 medium of water can have but small influence in 

 extending their vision, which must be further limited 

 from the eye being covered by the common skin of the 

 head, in order to defend the eye-ball, as there are no 

 eye-lids for this purpose, as in other animals. This 

 indistinctness of vision may be observed, by any one 

 who will take the trouble, in the gold and silver fish 

 usually kept in glasses. " It has been said, " remarks 

 White of Selborne, " that the eyes of fishes are im- 

 movable ; but these apparently turn them forward or 

 backward in their sockets, as their occasions require : 

 they take little notice of a lighted candle, though ap- 

 plied close to their heads, but flounce and seem much 

 frightened by a sudden stroke of the hand against the 

 support whereon the bowl is hung, especially when 

 they have been motionless, and perhaps asleep: as 

 fishes have no eye-lids, it is not easy to discern when 

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